Puzzle



`UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.-

HERSOHEL O. PARKER, OF BROOKLYN, YORK.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,365, dated April 27, 1897.

Application led January 9, 1897. Serial No. 618,534. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERscHEL C. PARKER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games or Puzzles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in games or puzzles; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple and interesting device of this character which I call Crossing the Trocha and in which I illustrate in a very amusing and fascinating manner the actions of the Spanish and Cuban forces in dodging each other and passing through the. so-called trocha, which the Spaniards have caused to be extended across the island of Cuba.

Another object of my invention is to make this apparatus in a durable and yet inexpensive manner, so that the article can be sold at a low price.

With these ends in View my invention consists of a game or puzzle the construction and arrangement of which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

.Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View, partly diagrammatic, to illustrate how one of the movable pieces can pass through an opening in the trocha and how the other of said pieces cannot; and Fig. 4t is a detail perspective View of one of the bridges used in the passes or gateways of the trocha.

The case 10 is a rectangular box-like structure and can be made of any suitable material, and its shape also maybe changed from rectangular to any form. The case has a transparent top 11, through which the mechanism in the case can be seen, and the top also serves to prevent the displacement of the movable pieces. The case can be made to represent the island of Cuba, and extending across it, preferably from corner to corner, although not necessarily in this direction, is a partition 12, which extends from top to botalso be made of any other suitable material. At various points in the upper part of the Vparti-tion or trocha 12 are openings 13, and at other points are passes 14., which are deeper,

so that the small movable piece 15 can pass through the openings 13, but the larger piece;

16 can only go through the passes 14. In the game the small piece or ball 15 represents Maceo or some other Cuban leader and the large piece or ball 16 is designated Weyler or some other Spaniard, and the manner in which these parts are moved will be explained later on.

At the entrance to the passes 14 are bridges 17, each of which has a raised central portion and rounded edges, and each bridge has also a tongue or extension 18, which enters the pass 14. It will be seen that this makes it difficult to roll the ball or piece 16 through either pass from the side on which it is shown in full lines iu Fig. 1, as it has a tendency to roll off the bridge without going through the pass.

In the open field on one side ofthe trocha and on the side adjacent to the entrance to the passes 1a are forts 19 and 20, made of raised sheet metal or other material, large enough to receive the movable pieces 15 and 16, the forts having suitable inlets 21 and 22. In manipulating the case 10 to solve the puzzle the balls will occasionally run into these forts and render the solution more dificult. On the opposite side of the trocha is a circular inclosure 23, formed by a raised partition and having a suitable gateway 24., and this inclosure I style Havana In solving the puzzle or playing the game the object is to get both movable pieces 15 and 16 across the trocha and into the inclosure 23, representing Havana. This will be found very difficult and t-he passage of the pieces back and forth through the trocha will represent the dodgingsand turnings of Maceo and Weyler. It will be observed that the piece 15, representing Maceo, can be jumped through the open- This trocha can be made bestv of sheet metal, such as tin, although it canl IOO ings 13, but if an attempt is made to have the piece 16 go through it fails, because the piece is too large, as illustrated by the diagram in Fig. 3. through the passes 14, but this is a difficult matter, and as the case must be held horizontal in workin g the gaine Maceo is likely to go out through one of the passes 1i, while Weyler goes in through the other.

As above remarked, it will be easily seen that this apparatus may be made up in very many dierent kinds of material, and that the particular configuration of the trocha can be changed at will, without affecting the principleof the invention. To more clearly distinguish the movable pieces they can be made of contrasting colors.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A device of the kind described, comprising a case having a crossing partition or trocha therein, with notches in its upper edge and with deeper openings or passes extending downward from its upper edge, an inclosure or inclosures arranged Within the case independent of the trocha, and movable pieces of different sizes in the case, one size being adapted to pass through the notches and the other through the passes only, substantially as specified.

2. A device of the kind described, comprising a case having a transparent top, a transverse partition or trocha therein, said trocha having a series of relatively small openings in the upper edge and a series of relatively large passes, different sizes of movable pieces The piece 16 can, however, be rolled` adapted to pass through the aforesaid openings and passes, and a series of raised bridges at the mouths of the passes, substantially as described.

3. A device of the kind described, comprising a case having a raised partition or trocha extending across it, said trocha having openings in its upper edge and passes leading through it, movable pieces adapted to go through the openings and passes, bridges at the entrance to the passes, and an inclosure simulating a fort on Vthe side of the trocha opposite the bridges, substantially as described.

4. A device of the kind described, comprising a case having a transparent top, a raised partition or trocha extending across the case, said trocha having openings in its upper edge and passes through it, bridges or obstructions at the entrance to the passes, and inclosures simulating forts on opposite sides of the trocha, substantially as described.

5. A device of the kind described, comprising a case having a transparent top, a partition or trocha extending across the case and provided with openings in its upper edge and with passes through it, inclosures simulating forts on opposite sides of the trocha, obstructions at the entrance to the passes, and movable pieces or balls of different sizes, one size being adapted to go through the openin gs and the other size through the passes only, substantially as described.

HERSCI-IEL C. PARKER.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. HEUsnR, BERTHA DEYo. 

